Cheers: Where the Doctor Knows Your Name
by mop94
Summary: What if Sam Malone, Loved bartender wasn't actually the owner of a bar, but a man coping with a mental breakdown due to life altering events?


Cheers: Where The Doctor Knows your Name

Waking up in his little cold room, Sam Malone would finally have to face reality. It had been a rough nine years for Sam, but thanks to the staff at the Cerebral Hospital Emotional Evaluation Sector of Boston He was finally getting better. The door to his room slowly opened and the head nurse, Nurse Chambers came in.

"How are we feeling this morning Mister Malone?" She reached behind him to fluff his pillow.

"Okay I guess, everything's still pretty hard to grasp right now" In the Three Weeks he had been awake, Sam thought that nurse chambers was an attractive woman, She was incredibly smart which Sam always thought would be a downside. Sam always thought she would go for someone who was more books smart.

"Now Sam, Dr. Crane will be here in a few minutes. He's going to ask you a few questions to determine your mental stability. Okay?" Before he could answer Dr. Crane came in and sat on the stool next to Sam's bed reading his chart. "Mr. Malone" asked Dr. Crane. "Can you tell me what year it is?"

Sam rubbed his eyes and thought for a second "Umm, aw geez it's uh 1993" "Correct!" exclaimed Crane as he jotted down some notes in the folder. "Now we need to ask some questions you might not want to answer, but we need you to okay Sam old boy?" "Yeah" muttered Sam as he sank his head, again rubbing his eyes.

"Sam… why are you here?" The room got quiet for a second. Nurse Chambers looked at Sam "It's okay Sam, take your time" said Chambers. "I… I suffered a mental breakdown about nine years ago"

"Good Sam" said Crane, "we're making a lot of progress here. Now sam, I need to know if you remember what caused the breakdown?" Sam got real quiet. Any feeling of progress quickly vanished as he was forced to recall the events of that night Nine years ago.

"I was at work, ya know I was a relief pitcher for the Boston Red Socks, a damn good one too" He said pointing at the Doctor "Yes Sam, so you've said" Doctor Crane started writing in the folder again "And you can bet the ladies ate that up, I mean I could get any girl I wanted, I had the Sammy charm! I still have the Sammy charm" Sam started talking quicker almost as if his accomplishments with woman outweighed those events that brought him here in the first place

"Sam please concentrate" Said the doctor "In order to properly evaluate your mental stability you need to answer" "Fine" said Sam "But don't you forget that Sammy could have anyone, Put that in your folder there" "Noted" said Dr. Crane "Now please continue, what set off the breakdown"

"Right, well I was in Detroit for one of the games. While I was gone I told my wife she should take our son and go sailing for a while. That night I got the call that… I got the Call that…" Tears started to form in Sam's eyes "I got the call that the boat sank. My wife Rebecca and my son Woody had died. That's what set off the Breakdown" The room fell quiet as Sam sat there

Suddenly a voice cam from the hallway to break the uncomfortable tension "Eah… it's a little known fact that 90 percent off all mental breakdowns occur in people between the ages of 25 and 54 and are more often than not triggered by the death of a family member. Oh and Mrs. Chambers, here are those books you ordered" He walks in and gives her the books "Thank you Clifford" said nurse chambers "Don't thank me Mrs. Chambers, I'm just doing what any workers of this hospitals mail room should do" He walks out into the hallway

"Sorry for that distraction Sam, Now do you remember much about your stay here?" asked doctor Crane. "No, No I don't" said Sam.

Just then a large man came running into the room wearing a painters uniform. "Doctor Crane! Doctor Crane!" He yelled "Norm" Yelled Doctor Crane "im with a patient, what is it?" asked doctor crane "Not What is it, more like where is it. I left I cooler of beer on in the room I was painting before I took a break to go get a beer and now its gone" screamed Norm in a panic. "I'm sure one of the nurses moved it, Diane will you please assist him?" "Certainly Doctor. Norman Follow me" Diane took norm and lead him out of the room

"Okay, now Sam, for the last Nine years or so you have been in a different state of mind where you have no perception of what's going on in the world around you, in many cases like this the subject often creates a fantasy world where He or She takes people or aspects from the world around them and incorporates them into their imaginary world. Does that sound familiar?" asked the doctor

"I don't know doc, everything's still so fuzzy" Replied Sam Out of nowhere the door to Sam's room swung open and a short nurse came storming in and started yelling at the doctor. "Listen doc, we had a deal. Floors 5 through 8 are mine and that blonde Barbie of a nurse isn't supposed to be anywhere near them! Yet shockingly she's up there right now with that painter reading while he sits back drinking while he's on the phone with some Vera chick."

"Nurse Carla please, I will deal with the matter as soon as I am done here. And as for norm Vera is his wife, what strikes me as odd is that for as long as he has been the hospitals painter I've never met her." Said Dr. Crane

"Look doc, can we please get back to me here? I mean I snap out of it three Weeks ago and I'm basically told I've spent nine years of my life in some fictional world. I don't know what to do?" Sam said as he sat up in the bed.

"I'm always available" said nurse Carla as she walked over to Sam "Nurse Carla!" Shouted Dr. Crane. "Please leave us alone. I am simply trying to help Sam here with his mental stability and all these interruptions are making it damn near impossible! Now Sam, what we will do is keep an eye on you for the next few months maybe a year or so and when you are ready and mentally okay to function as a member of society, we will release you"

Finally a long ten months slowly passed and Sam was finally able to be released. With his bag thrown over his shoulder he walked down the hallway toward the front door only stopping to straighten a picture of the hospitals founder Ernie Pantusso. As he reached the front door Nurse chambers stopped him to say goodbye "Have a good life Sam" she said to him Startled he looked at her "Have a good life? That's what you say when something is over" said Sam as they looked at each other "And trust me with the way my mind works ill probably be back here in six months" He chuckled and then walked out the door. As he walked out Nurse chambers said to herself "Have a good life" She turned around to read the sign at the front desk that read Cerebral Hospital Emotion Evaluation Sector of Boston. Established in 1895


End file.
